Lost cause
by misspickle
Summary: A story in which due to an unforseen situation a girl is forced to face her deepest fears, little did she know that facing these fears would require the source of them to help her get over them. All she knows is that her world is forever changing, and she's not sure how to feel about it. -This story takes place after the barrier is broken, and the monsters are back on the surface.-
1. chapter 1

This is just great, really... just great. What am I supposed to do? I pondered as I take quick deep breaths while hiding behind my work counter.

I have no idea how long they're going to be here. If I stay put long enough maybe they'll think the store is closed and leave. I try to stop shaking as I think about them possibly finding and seeing me.

I can't help it that I'm afraid. I hate it, but it's a fear I've had for most of my life, and I can't just pretend it doesn't exist now. I know deep down that monsters aren't all bad, but... ever since I found out they were real when they came to the surface, my fear seems like it's gotten even worse. I barely even go out anymore, except for work.

I know this store isn't monster prohibited like a few of the stores around here... Well, legally they aren't supposed to be due to antidiscrimination laws, but sometimes the employees at some particular stores will harass monsters until they leave. I don't like it, and I don't want this store to be that way... but I'm just scared of them.

I wish they would come here while somebody else was working... I don't want to cower behind this counter, but I really can't even will myself to move. What if they do actually want to hurt me?

Wait, I hear footsteps that sound like they're getting farther away. Maybe they're leaving. I can head to the back room when they do. I need to calm down, and I don't think I'll be much help to customers in this state.

I get on my hands and knees, and crawl over to the end of the counter. Then, I peek my head out slightly from behind it. I dart my eyes back and forth and don't notice anyone, so I begin to crawl out from behind the counter.

This was apparently a mistake, because no, they hadn't left, they were just in another aisle... And now there were two skeleton creatures right in my line of sight glancing down at me. Oh, hell.

"HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN ON THE FLOOR LIKE THAT!?" The taller of the skeletons yelled to me. He was dressed rather odd, and had a boisterous demeanor about him. The other one wasn't really saying anything, just standing lazily with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. He was grinning at me, but something seemed not so friendly about it.

"U-uuum, well... I.." Was all I manage to mutter before I pass out, my world going blurry.

I begin to slowly flutter open my eyes, and squint at the sunlight streaming throught the window. I quickly remember what happened before I passed out and quickly jolt up into a sitting position, looking around frantically.

After a moment I notice that I'm in my own room... Wait, what, how? I was in the store a moment ago... right? But, it looks like the suns gone down just a little bit... So it's probably been a while. Who brought me back home?

As if to answer my question I hear the door knob turn and the door is pushed open slowly, as if whoever is there is making sure I'm awake before entering, and what do I see when the door opens? The fucking shorter skeleton I was hiding from at the store... Before they saw me and I passed out, and I'm afraid that's about to happen again.

I can't bring myself to move, so I resign to just letting myself stare wide eyed at the skeleton. I try to make myself say something but I can't. After a few moments of mutual staring between us the skeleton spoke much too casually for this predicament.

"Hey kiddo, I see you're awake now. The names Sans. Nice to meet ya'" Sans says to me with a lazy grin on his face.

I slowly work up the courage to speak. "H-hello. My names Shilo... nice to meet you too. U-umm can I ask you something?" I say shakily, failing in my attempt to sound composed.

"Yeah, sure." Sans says lazily.

"How do you know where I live. I-I never gave you my address." I speak

in a frightened tone.

Sans shrugs "We saw your cell phone on the counter. We called your dad and explained the situation to him. He told me and my brother Papyrus where to bring you, so we brought you home." Sans says casually.

Great, just great. Well, this is really awkward. And I'm ashamed to say I feel like I'm going to pass out again, but I can't just tell the guys who brought me back to my home out of kindness to leave... I've gotta try and be polite.

"Oh, well... thank you." I manage to say somewhat quietly.

"Yeah. Don't sweat it, but listen I want to ask ya' why'd you pass out in the first place, sick or something?... or is it something else? Because I've gotta real good guess." Sans says in a not so friendly manner. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he knows why I passed out... I try and find the courage to speak in my mix of fear and embarrassment.

"I-I don't know." is all I'm able to say. Damn it... why is this all I can say? I look pathetic.

"Ha, so that's it. You were scared, huh? If it makes ya' feel better all we were trying to do was shop, but whatever, guess it wouldn't matter what we do, you'd still be afraid. That's all I needed to know, bye." Sans says simply as he turns to leave before I can say anything else.

Damn it. I feel like such a jerk. All he was trying to do was help me, and I made myself look like a fearful racist against monsters... Yet, I'm still afraid even now... Ugh.

I get up abruptly to leave the room out of frustration, assuming Sans and his brother have left, but stop suddenly in the hall as I hear a conversation going on in the other room.

"Hey, thank you guys for bringing my daughter back safely I really appreciate it. I'm sorry for any inconvenience she caused you, and I want to give you something to take home. Hold on." I hear some shuffling, from what sounds like the kitchen, and suddenly my dad speaks again.

"It's a tortilla casserole. I may not be the best cook, but I try my best for my daughter. You can take it home and heat it in the oven for a few minutes, and it should be good." My dad says enthusiastically. After a moment I hear who I think is Papyrus speak.

"HOW KIND OF YOU! WE WOULD LOVE TO ACCEPT YOUR GENEROUS OFFER... BUT, YOU SEE WHERE WE LIVE WE DO NOT HAVE AN OVEN. THEREFORE WE CANNOT HEAT THE CASSEROLE BACK UP AND CANNOT ACCEPT THE OFFER! I APOLOGIZE!"

Suddenly I hear words that I dread...

"You live in a place that doesn't even have an oven? Sounds like a run down apartment, or house. You know, we do have two extra rooms here that aren't being use d. You seem like good guys so if you want you could stay here until you find a better place."

Why?... no, dad knows about my fear. He can't offer that...

"Thanks for your offer, but I don't think your daughter really takes too kindly to us. So I think we have to decline."

Uggh... I feel bad.

Before I can think about it anymore I hear my dad start to speak again. "No, that's not true. Trust me she's just a bit shy so it's hard for her to warm up to anyone. She probably passed out because she wasn't feeling well earlier, but went to work anyway. Really, shed probably become great friends with you two once she got to talking to you for a while. She's a sweet girl." my dad says. Talking about me enthusiastically.

Silence stays in the air for a few seconds before I hear Sans speak. '"Alright, if it's really fine with you then we'll stay for a while. Thanks. We've gotta go pack up our stuff which shouldn't take too long, so we'll be out for a bit."

I take a deep breath as I hear Sans and Papyrus head out the door, and immediately after I hear it close I run into the living room and turn to my dad.

"Dad, what the hell?! You remember my phobia right? Because I never got over it, and you just invited the source of it to stay at our house... You know this is too much for me to handle!" I say glaring at my dad, feeling insignificant.

My dad looks at me a bit before smiling slightly. "Shilo hun, I know. That's why I invited them to stay here."

That doesnt make sense what is he on about?

"What do you mean?" I say suspicion in my voice. He's up to something.

" You're 18 years old. I want you to be able to live your life as an adult without fear. Now that we know monsters are real. They will roam society as humans do. I don't want you to be afraid of them, so much that you shut yourself in the house. I want you to explore the world and to be happy. So please, just try?" My dad says with obvious worry and love in his voice... When he puts it like that I understand. I know he wants the best for me, and he did this out of love. I feel bad that I got mad at him... I'm still scared, but I'll try and act normal in front of Sans and Papyrus.

"Hey, umm, I guess that makes sense. I'll try. I say with a forced smile, because I'm still shook up.

My dad smiles at me happily. "Good, that's all I want. I really hope this can help you, and that you'll learn to get along with monsters."

"Like I said, I'll try." I force another smile.

"I'm gonna go up to my room for a bit." I say.

"Okay, just be down in a few hours for dinner."

I nod and walk through the hall to my room. I enter and immediately flop down on my bed. Ohh, what a day... I have a feeling things will be hectic from here on out.


	2. It just gets more awkward

I groggily open my eyes and sigh, forcing myself to sit up. I squint my eyes to try and block out the sunlight.

It's morning already? I went to bed early last night, but I guess it doesn't matter how much I sleep. I always hate mornings. The sun is just always way too bright this early in the day

Yesterday two new guests moved in, the skeleton brothers. It was pretty uneventful after they got back here with all of their stuff, which only took a few hours. I guess they really didn't have many things... Dad heated up th casserole he had intended to give Sans and Papyrus when they were going to leave... but, well, since they live here now we all ate it.

After that I just went straight to my room and stayed there the rest of the day. I wasn't ready to face Sans and Papyrus anymore yet.

So yeah, like I said, pretty uneventful.

I sigh again, and push myself up off of my bed, then stretch out my arms and legs. I quickly get dressed, and brush out my short black hair, before heading to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. After brushing my teeth I exit the bathroom and make my way to the kitchen, hearing my dad having a conversation with Papyrus. Suddenly I stop, then take a deep breath to prepare myself before entering the kitchen.

Upon entering I see my dad, Papyrus, and Sans sitting at the kitchen table with plates of scrambled eggs sitting in front of them, Sans plate of eggs is covered in a thick layer of ketchup. I notice an empty chair with another plate of eggs in front of it, and know my dad set it out for me like he does every morning.

I slowly and hesitantly make my way over to the empty chair and sit down, not bothering to speak to any of them yet.

"Good morning honey!" My dad says to me cheerfully, pausing from his conversation with Papyrus.

"Good morning dad." I say with a small smile. Then I hear Papyrus start to say something with an extremely loud voice, making me shudder.

"HOW ARE YOU DOING HUMAN?! ARE YOU STILL FEELING SICK FROM YESTERDAY. IT'S UNFORTUNATE YOU BECAME SO SICK THAT YOU PASSED OUT. I DO HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER."

At least he thinks I was just sick...

"I'm feeling m-much better now... Thank you for asking." I say, managing to stutter considerably less than I thought I would.

"GOOD TO HEAR. I WAS SO WORRIED. I WOULDN'T WANT A NEW FRIEND TO BE SICK." Papyrus says with relief in his voice.

He just met me... and he already wants us to be friends? That's new to me.

"Don't worry about me. I'm f-fine, really. But th-thank you, and thanks for helping me yesterday." I say smiling a bit, then start to eat my eggs.

"YOU ARE VERY WELCOME HUMAN. WE WERE GLAD TO HELP"

"Yeah, really, don't sweat it kid. It wouldn't of **eggxactly** been okay to leave you there, so we picked you up and **scrambled** to get you home."

It takes me a minute to register what I heard, and my lips quirk up into a smile, but I try not to laugh at the awful pun.

"SANS NO." Papyrus yells as if he's had to say this many times before, and I hear my dad chuckle.

"That w-was awful." I manage to say still smiling.

"Eh, you'll have to forgive me. My **funny bone** gets to me sometimes." Sans says smiling.

I... have no words. I smile even wider, but still don't dare laugh.

"Wow." is all I say to Sans as I hear Papyrus quickly get up and walk to the sink to wash his plate.

I guess he couldn't take the puns.

"So, what do you plan to do today Shilo?" My dad asks me trying to swerve the conversation to avoid another round of puns.

"Oh, uhh, nothing much really. I don't have work so I thought I'd just stay home and do whatever." I say simply.

"I see, well, I'm done eating, so I'll be heading off to work now, I can't be late. Don't go destroying the house while I'm gone." Dad says to me smiling.

"Alright, see you soon." I say hesitantly.

I guess I'll have to be alone with them for a while...

Dad gets up and washes his plate. Then goes to grab his suit case and opens the front door. With a quick goodbye, he exits the house and shuts the door.

I feel an awkward silence creep up on me when I realize I and Sans are the only ones left at the table, so I quickly finish my eggs and go to wash my plate. After I finish, and put the plate up I start to leave the room.

"Hey." I hear Sans voice in my ears, and I stop, turning to face him.

"Yeah?" I say quietly, just enough for him to hear me.

"Just so you know." I hear Sans voice become dark. "I know the real reason you passed out. You may be fooling everyone else, but not me. You were afraid."

I feel my stomach start to churn and I hesitantly open my mouth to speak. "N-no that's not true. W-why would you think that?" I say trying my best to lie. I was really hoping he didn't know... What am I supposed to say now?

"Ah, alright then. So you don't wanna admit it. That's cool, I won't push ya'. But just know this, if you let your fear get out of hand and try to harm me or my brother it's not gonna be fun for you, got it?" Sans says with a threat in his voice...

I feel myself start to shake a little, and I clear my throat. "Yes." I say quietly, and quickly walk away, and head to my room. I quickly enter it, and shut the door behind me. I slide to the floor, and bury my head in my hands.

"He knows." I whisper to myself and start to feel myself become even more stressed than I was before. This really sucks. And now he's worried I might be some kind of threat. Great.. now I'm on a monsters watch list.

I guess I shouldn't plan on leaving my room anytime soon... I'm way too freaked out right now. I need to calm down. I get out my computer and immediately head straight to youtube. I immerse myself in one of many stupid (but adorable) cat videos, and after about 30 minutes of video watching start to feel a bit more relaxed.

After about another hour of my adventure deep into the youtube rabbit hole I hear a knock on my door. I quickly shut my computer, and grow tense. What could Sans or Papyrus want?

"Come in" I say nervously.

I hear the door open, and feel a sense of unease wash over me. Sans enters the room quietly and goes to sit on my bed, looking down at me as I continue to remain on the floor.

"Look, we may have got off to a bad start, so I'm gonna say what I have to say. I don't know why you're so afraid of monsters and frankly I don't care, but I realize I'm probably making it worse by threatening you, and I don't want to be another reason for your unnecessary fear, especially when we're going to be staying in the same house, could get kinda awkward. I'm no tryin' to say that I think you're some kinda threat, okay? I'm just saying that if you did do something, I'd have to also do something that you won't probably like. But as long as you're nice, I'm nice. So don't start getting all intimidated by me... anymore than you were before at least." Sans says lazily, as if nothing he's saying is meant to be taken seriously... but I sense something deeper in that tone...

It's almost like he's trying to apologize... I guess I can say I'm a little less freaked out now, about the threat anyway. In general though I'm still a bit weary of Sans.

"Yeah, o-okay. I'm not going to do anything... so you don't have to worry about that, sorry if I'm being st-strange." I say reassuringly.

Sans looks at me for a moment as if he's studying me. "Alright, I don't suspect you will, just giving you advice not to. So, care to tell me what you've been doing all cooped up in here?"

"I, uh, was just on my computer watching videos. So... nothing really I suppose. What were you doing?" I ask, not knowing much else to say.

"Taking a nap."

As if to help end the awkward small talk, I hear my phone start to ring and quickly answer it, not bothering to check who it is. I just want to stop that conversation.

"Hello?" I say into the phone waiting for a response. But when I finally get one my blood instantly runs cold, and I feel my heart start to race.

"Hello Shilo. Miss me?" I slowly move the phone away from my ear and check to see if the person calling is who I think it is. Upon confirming my suspicion I put the phone back up to my ear.

"Never call this number again. I'm blocking you." I say coldly and hang up on the person.

"Who was that?" Sans asks with slight concern in his voice.

I smile. "It was no one, just some telemarketer." I say, not giving the real identity of who called.

"Ah... I see. Yeah, those can be annoying. We even got them in the underground.

I immediately push the phone call aside as if it never happened and laugh. "Ha, sometimes it can be fun to mess with them, especially if it's actually a scammer. It takes away a bit of their time so they can't mess with anyone else either."

"I've never done that, may try if I get one of those calls again." Sans says chuckling a little. "Also, you seem to be a little more talkative all of the sudden."

Huh, do I?

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess I might be a little. I didn't notice." It's true though, I really didn't notice. Weird... I guess I'd rather talk to my actual fear rather than the source of it.

"H-hey, wanna go downstairs and watch a movie? I know a few good ones." I say shyly trying to further push the phone call back into my mind.

"Uh, sure, just make it something funny." Sans says almost as if he's surprised by my new demeanor.

We head downstairs and I spot Papyrus on the couch watching tv.

"Hey, Paps, we were gonna watch a movie if you're not watching anything good, so you wanna watch it with us?" Sans asks Papyrus casually.

"OF COURSE, I LOVE MOVIES. WHAT ARE WE GONNA WATCH?" Papyrus asks enthusiastically.

Upon choosing a movie from the dvd rack I slip it into the dvd player.

"We're gonna watch Big Trouble in Little China. It's pretty funny."

"Never heard of it, but if it's funny I'm sure I'll like it." Sans says lazily.

I sit on the edge of the couch, while Sans takes a seat in the middle of the couch, and then I hit play on the dvd remote, and we all begin to watch the movie in a comfortable silence.

After a few hours the movie finishes and I put the dvd back in its case, and turn off the tv.

"Okay, I guess that was pretty funny. Nice movie choice, kid." Sans says grinning a little wider than normal.

"Thanks, it's one of my favorites. I've always thought it was funny, and used to watch it a lot." I say grinning.

I'll admit, despite still being weary of them, it was nice just to sit down and watch a movie, knowing they seemed to have enjoyed it too. Especially after that phone call...

Suddenly I hear the lock on the front door turning, and my dad comes through the door. Right, we were watching that movie for a while, I guess it's time for him to be home.

"Hey hun." Dad says as he pats my head and smiles. "How are all of you doing?" he says woth a caring voice.

"WE ARE DOING WONDERFUL. WE JUST FINISHED WATCH A MOVIE TOGETHER AND IT WAS QUITE FUNNY." Papyrus says ecstatic.

My dad smiles almost mischievously... Oh great, he probably just assumes this one small thing means I'm completely over my fear now, and he can take credit for it...

"Oh really, that's wonderful. Isn't that wonderful Shilo?"

Oh god, here he goes...

"Oh, yes dad it is wonderful. Now you should go put your suit case away. Im sure you had a long day at work." I say with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

The skeleton brothers eye us strangely.

"Um, okay. Well, I'm gonna head out for a bit. Need to get some air." Sans states sounding as casual as usual.

"Oh, Shiloh, why don't you go with him! I'm sure he could use a companion to talk too, and you two could get to know each other more." Dad says over enthusiastically.

Why does he have to keep scheming? I just want to take things at my own pace.

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind." Sans states like he doesn't care either way, and then shrugs.

I try to think of an excuse but can't, so I give a hesitant nod in Sans direction, signaling that I'm going.

"Great, don't be out too long though. It's really hot outside and you could get overheated. Call me if you need anything, either of you." Dad says way too happily, and I glare at him slightly, a little annoyed.

"Alright, let's go. See you two later." Sans says as he walks out the door, and I immediately follow.

"DON'T GET HER INTO TROUBLE SANS. AND BE NICE." Papyrus yells to his brother as we walk away, door shutting behind me.

I follow Sans silently as we walk, eventually exiting the neighborhood and heading into the city. It's kind of a middle of the road city. It's not great, but it's not horrible either. It's named Gladisville, and it's in the middle of Kansas, It's the second closest city you can find from Mount Ebbot, so a lot of monsters live here... Not really helping my phobia. This is the first time I've taken a walk just to take a walk in a while... I'm honestly pretty freaked out about it, but I'm trying to keep my composure.

"So, whats up with your dad?" It seemed like he would've practically begged you to take a walk with me if he had to." Sans says curiously, as he glances at me.

I guea I have to explain that...

"You see... He umm, wants me to get over my fear, s-so he's pushing me to interact with you and your brother... I guess that sounds kind of weird when I say it that way, but... yeah. That's why he's acting weird." I say, kind of embarrassed, and stare at the ground as I walk.

"I see... I guess he just cares for you then. Well, you were watching that movie with us earlier, and you looked pretty relaxed to me. So maybe you're realizing your fears a little silly by now. I mean neither of us have tried to kill ya' right? And I tell very **humerus** puns, so I can't be that bad ya' know." Sans says lazily, and I glance at him.

"Ha, **tibia** honest those puns suck... but they're still kind of funny... And well, yeah... Maybe they're just... silly." I say, sort of faking the last part. Yeah, I think my fear is stupid. Yes I think it's unwarranted but... It's not silly. It's a serious thing regardless of how dumb it is... I'm obviously not going to say that though, so it's best left as a thought.

I hear Sans chuckle. "Not bad, you have a **funny bone** I guess."

I chuckle slightly at Sans pun and continue walking with him for the next 30 minutes, talking about nonsensical things along the way, until we get back home where dinner is waiting at the table.

We all eat quickly and dad talks about his day at work, saying that one guy who always acts like a douche got fired, making me chuckle at how happy he sounded about it, then we all wash our dishes and head off into the living room.

We spend the next few hours watching tv before we all head off to our respective rooms.

Upon laying down on my bed I turn to my side and stare at the wall getting lost in random thoughts, until a specific one gets my attention.

Why would Joey call me again after all these years? He knows I don't want anything to do with him... Not after that... You know what, I don't wanna think about it. I blocked his number so he won't be calling me again anyway. I just need to go to sleep.

I slowly let myself close my eyes, and drift away into the land of dreams.


	3. Interesting change

I slowly peer up from the book I've been reading, and notice Papyrus arguing with Sans about how lazy he is. It makes me chuckle at how they intereact with each other. Papyrus is clearly the more argumentative one, but he seems to mean well by it.

It's been a week since they moved in, and I've gradually been talking to them more each day. I find it easiest to spend time with them when we watch movies, so I've been playing random films quite a bit. Of course it's not like I'm just completely over my fear now, and everything's just great, but I can at least talk to Sans and Papyrus now. This seems to make my dad feel a little better too.

I hear the argument come to an abrupt end, and look back down at my book to start reading again, and I start to relax again. This lasts for a few seconds before I hear my name called.

With a sigh I look up from my book again, giving Sans a look that says go on with it.

"Hey, Shilo I'm gonna go to the store and get some groceries, anything I should pick up?" Sans asks, already halfway to the door.

"Uh, yeah actually... You know what, the store I work at actually gives me an employee dicount, so I'll go with you. It'll make things cheaper for both of us."

I typically prefer not to go out these days, but It's only a quick trip to the store I work at, so it should be okay.

"Oh, uh, okay. So you ready then?" Sans asks lazily, and I immediately nod, beginning to follow him as he starts to walk towards the door slowly.

We exit the house and begin to make the short 15 minute walk to the store.

Along the way we start to chat about a couple of the movies we watched, but then my phone makes a beeping sound, catching me off guard.

I look to see what it is, and notice I have a notification for a new message on Facebook. I look to see what it says, and my eyes widen, my blood running as cold as when I got that phone call the other day.

It reads:

"Hello, Shilo. It wasn't nice of you to block my number, thought I'd contact you here instead. I dare you to block me again."

What the hell does he want!? I'm not going through this again. That peice of crap needs to leave me alone, and what was that at the end about 'daring to block' him. Was that some kind of threat? Well if Joey thinks that's gonna work on ne he's got another thing coming.

I immediately delete the message, and open up facebook to block Joey. There, he cantcan't mess with me anymore. What's his problem?

I feel eyes on me and notice Sans looking over at me with a worried expression.

"Hey, kiddo. You okay? You look a little pale." He says sounding worried.

Oh, I don't really feel it's something I need to tell him. I don't really want this to even need to come up again, so it'd be better to not even talk about it. It's not like Joey can message me again anyway now... I'll have to change my email address later too just to be safe...

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine, just read something spooky." I say trying my best to sound genuine.

Sans looks at me quizzically for a moment before responding. "Hmm, okay if you say so."

Phew, okay it's all good. No more messages, no more worries.

After about 5 more minutes of walking and conversing, we make it to the store, aka Neighborhood Grocers, and make our way inside.

"Alright so what was it you needed?" I ask Sans as we walk. It seems like he knows where he's going...

"Ketchup." He states simply as if it wasn't even something that needed an explanation.

I do notice that he seems to have an affinity for ketchup. He drenches everything he eats in it, and even drinks it straight out of the bottle...

"Just... ketchup?"

"Yup." Sans states lazily.

"Okay then." I say not bothering to ask anymore about it, and follow him to the condiment aisle.

Sans grabs 4 bottles of ketchup, and then speaks.

"I've got what I need. What was it you had needed?"

Really... just ketchup... okay then.

"I just need to get some eggs, milk, and juice. It shouldn't take long." I say as I make my way to the drink aisle.

Once I enter the aisle I go and grab a big bottle of pineapple and tangerine juice, then make my way to the cold section to grab a carton of eggs, and a box of milk, satisfied with finding everything I need, me and Sans start to walk to the checkout area to pay for our stuff.

I reach into my pocket and grab my wallet to get out some cash and my employee ID card, then hand it to the cashier.

"You don't need to pay for all of it. I can get the ketchup." Sans says to me.

I smile at him and shake my head. "No, I've got it. It's no big deal. Plus, like I said I work here, so my employee card makes it cheaper."

Sans looks at me for a second and then shrugs.

"Well, alright then if your good with it. Thanks."

"No problem." I say with a smile.

I wait for the cashier to hand me my ID card and change. Then me and Sans grab the bags and head out the door back into the city.

I start to feel something wet on my shoulders and realize that it's starting to rain. Ugh, the forecast didn't call for any rain today. This really sucks. I would've brought an umbrella if I knew...

I start to speed up my walking a bit, and Sans matches my pace.

The rain starts to pour down harder and at this point me and Sans are both getting soaked with water. My hairs even starting to stick to the back of my neck.

"Why does it have to rain so hard today? This sucks." I say to Sans annoyed.

"Yeah, I dunno. It's really **raining** on my parade. Hey, I know a way to get us out of here pretty quickly though."

I groan at Sans pun, not really in the mood to laugh right now. What coukd he be on about? There's no other way I know of to get home besides walking. It's pretty hard to catch a taxi around here, and the next bus stop is a ways away. So... What's he planning?

"Just grab my hand and close your eyes. We'llbe back at the house in no time." Sans says simply as if no further explanation is needed.

Umm... what?

"How exactly is that going to get us home?" I ask suspiciously.

"Trust me." Sans says, his grin becoming a little wider than usual.

Umm, okay. I'm getting used to him, but... honestly I'm still a bit afraid to hold his hand... I'm not afraid to talk to him anymore, but this is different. Nevertheless, I don't want to seem afraid so...

I slowly and hesitantly reach out to grab Sans hand and immediately shut my eyes hoping I don't freak out.

I notice that his hand is a bit warmer than I expected. It is made out of bone after all, so I guess I kind of expected it not to be as warm as a human hand. I try to keep myself calm, and notice that I'm not quite as freaked out as I thought I'd be... I guess this isn't exactly a scary feeling, just... kind of strange.

Sans pulls me out of my thoughts as he speaks. "Alright just hold on for a few seconds."

What does he mean by that?

Suddenly I feel a strange tigngling sensation spreading through my feet all the way up to my head. It doesn't hurt, but it does feel strange, almost like the feeling you get after your leg falls asleep and it's just starting to become usable again. This feeling only lasts for a few seconds however, before it stops.

"Alright, you can let go of my hand now."

I quickly let go of Sans hand and slowly open my eyes.

I'm back at my house... more specifically in my living room. Okay... how?

"Umm... Sans, explain how we're back at the house already."

Sans chuckles at my surprise. "I teleported us here."

Okay, so he can teleport. There's something new I learned today.

"Y-you can teleport?" I ask him still a bit surprised honestly.

"Yep. It's because of magic." He says as if it should've been obvious.

"Okay then..." I say, not wanting to further the conversation.

I slowly walk into the kitchen and put the groceries away. Sans follows me to stock up the refrigerator with his ketchup bottles.

To be honest I feel a little dazed after that teleporting thing. I should go sit down for a bit.

I make my way into the living room and turn on the tv before quickly sitting down on the couch. Papyrus and Sans soon join me and start to have a conversation about... spaghetti.

After a few minutes my dizziness seems to wear off, and I come up with a brilliant idea.

"Hey, guys wanna play a game?" I ask with a smirk on my face knowing just what to play.

" OF COURSE. WHAT KIND OF GAME HUMAN?" Papyrus asks. enthusiastically, making me laugh.

"Well, I was thinking Mario Kart. I've got my wii console hooked up in here, so I figured we all could play it. I warn you though. I'm pretty good, so you should both be prepared to lose." I say, smirking a bit at the last sentence.

Sans grin widens. "Heh, you're on kid. But don't get so cocky. You may not be as great as you think you are."

I smirk at Sans. "Hmm, no one beats me at this game, so we'll see about that."

"Well, I tried to warn ya' kid, but I guess you don't listen well."

"Well, let's get started I say after getting the game out of its case and sliding it into the wii. I turn it on and het out three wii remotes, handing 2 of them to Sans and Papyrus, and keeping the third one. Then I change the tvs input.

I start the game and we all select our characters. I pick Yoshi as always. Then we start on the first track.

See, I had assumed that these two had never played Mario Kart before, so I'd for sure have the upper hand... but well, Sans is apparently better at this than I thought he would be. Papyrus however keeps crashing into the wall...

I start to worry that maybe I jinxed myself earlier by saying I'd win... because I'm definitely losing. Sans is a little bit ahead of me, and I can't get a red shell for the life of me. Even lightning won't slow him down much...

I try my hardest to catch up with him, but he fires a green shell back at me, and I don't dodge it.

I'm gonna lose...

And lose I did as Sans passes the finish line followed by me about 15 seconds after... Papyrus takes a few minutes to catch up.

Sans looks over at me with a wide grin, and I don't say anything looking away.

"Hey kid you look a little **beat**. What's wrong?" He asks with the most sarcastic tone ever.

"Shut up." I say trying not to smile at the pun, and notice myself blushing out of embarrassment.

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been so cocky.

"Okay, I won't mess with ya' about it, but I did warn ya' didn't I?"

"Whatever, I guess you're okay. But I'll beat you on the next track!" I say trying to fake confidence.

"Nah." is all Sans says before we start.

And I lose again... and again... and then on rest of the tracks too...

Son of a-

"Heh, well, you wanna try again?" Sans says with a shit eating grin on his face.

I get up and and don't even look at him. "No way in hell." I say as I admit defeat and drop the controller on the couch before heading to my room to grab my laptop. Then I propromptly sit down on my bed and open it up, and turn it on. The windows logo displays on the screen and then it takes me to my log on page. I enter my password and I'm taken to my desktop. I open up firefox and head to my Facebook, hoping there'll be something interesting to look at.

And well there was, only not in a good way...

I open up my messages and see that I have a new one from... Joey.

This can't be right. How could he message me? I blocked him. But it shows his name, right there in front of me... I can't deny it.

I guess I have to read it sometime, better noe than later.

The message reads: Hello again. So I guess you blocked me again huh? That wasn't a good idea. All I really had to do to contact you again was make a new Facebook, so you can't just keep blocking me, I'll always find a way to contact you, even without facebook, always. Now, why don't you message me back? It would be the wise choice." I start to shake after reading the message, and force myself to type back:

What the hell do you want? Just leave me alone. I'm tired of your crap. Aren't you tired of this too... messing with me for no reason? Go get a life.

I quickly click send and stare at the screen for a few seconds before exiting out of my messages. I feel my heart starting to race, and feel like I'm about to cry. What the hell does he want?

After a few minutes of mindlessly scrolling through my news feed waiting for a reply I notice another new message. I open it and read it.

Oh no... This can't be true... no way. There's no way it is!

But if it is then... I don't know what to do.

I'm at a loss for words.


	4. Bad news

"So you've become feisty over the past few years huh? You've never stood up to me before... Though I'm not sure you actually would in person. But anyway back on topic.

This isn't just about me messing with you sweetheart. Don't be so self centered. This is something much more serious. I don't like beating around the bush so I'll just get straight to the point. I know about the monsters living with you, and if you want to continue living with them happily you're going to listen to me. I need you to get some information on them for me, got it? I work for a certain organization that's, lets just say less than fond of monsters. And we need to get more information on their emotional capabilities. That's where you come in. All I need you to do is observe the 2 in your house. Give it a few weeks, and then report back to me on what you know. I need to know how much empathy, sadness, anger, and happiness they are able to display. It may be harder to put them into a situation where they feel sadness or anger, so if you have to create a situation that makes then feel those emotions, I expect you to do it.

This is really all I can say as of now. You know what you need to do, so I'll be messaging you in a few weeks."

This is the message that has me frozen in place... This is why Joey has been trying to contact me. What the hell is wrong with him? I don't intend to do any of these things for him, and he's going to know that.

I start to type a message back.

First of all, you're disgusting. Second of all why would you expect me to do any of this, and why do you need to know about monsters emotional capabilities? It's not as if me observing 2 of them would even determine how the whole monster race reacts emotionally anyway. Just these 2. So I'm pretty much going back to my original statement of leave me alone.

I hit send and anxiously wait for a reply. It takes a few minutes before I get one back, but as soon as I do I open it.

"Oh, so you don't plan on doing it, hmm? Need I remind you of all the things I know about you, most importantly where you live. You wouldn't want your new monster friends to have to miss you right? Because something unfortunate might happen to you. it would really suck, yeah? Yeah I'm sure it would. I don't want it to have to come to that so just do what I say. And well, let's just say it's easier to hurt something mentally than physically, you know? So if monsters are indeed emotionally driven beings, then we'll change our tactics from physical violence to a mix of that and emotional manipulation. It also really doesn't matter if you're only observing 2, they're all the same.

Now I don't want a reply back until I've messaged you again in a few weeks. If you do not have any information for me in a few weeks just know things won't be good for you. Don't bother going to the police. I haven't made an explicit threat. It won't do you any good sweetheart."

I start to shake after reading the message, and I feel tears welling up in my eyes. He can't hurt me! Is that what he's threatening?! I won't listen...

This is a new low... even for Joey. To threaten something so disgusting... he really is a piece of crap.

So what do I do..? On one hand I can just not listen to Joey, but then he possibly hurts me, which... I can't let happen... I know the right choice but... I'm so scared of the outcome.

It doesn't matter... What has to happen will happen. And in this case it means me ignoring Joey. Though now that I think about it, It's not like I have to let Joey in if he comes over, and he lives pretty far away from here. Maybe it's an empty threat... That'sall I can hope.

I may be afraid of most monsters, and that has to do with Joey... However, I don't despise them like he does. I don't wish harm on them, and I really do want to get over my fear of them. I'm used to Sans and Papyrus at this point. So maybe that's a start.

All I can do right now is ignore that threat and pretend it didn't happen.

Actually... I'll go ahead and delete my Facebook. It's really not something I need. I don't use it to talk to many people... except for Joey today. and it's getting kind of boring to me anyway... Considering it's the only social media I use. Joey won't be able to contact ne with that form of communication anymore.

I quickly head to my account details and click through a few buttons to delete it. In a few seconds it disappears and I feel just a little worry drift away.

Ha, that'll send him the message that I'm not listening to him, and don't plan on trying to contact him anymore.

I shut my computer and put it on the ground. Then I lay back on my bed, and sigh, exhausted from the stress this all caused me.

Just when I close my eyes to try and take a nap, I gear a knock on my door.

I tiredly say "come in." and notice Sans walk into my room.

I don't even bother to sit up, and he sits down on the bed next to me with a worried expression on his face... I don't even know how he manages to look worried. He can somehow move his brow bone to form expressions, and he can sort of lessen his grin.. I can just tell he's worried.

"Hey, you okay kid? You look a little tense, and you sound tired." He asks.

"Oh, uh I'm fine. Just tired. That game wore me out." I say trying my best to sound convincing.

Sans expression turns into a frown. "I know that's not true. You're not exactly the best liar ya' know?"

... What do I say now?

"No, really I'm fine." I say a little shakily, because Sans caught me off guard.

"No you aren't and I don't wanna push it, but the last few times I've asked you I've suspected that you were lying when you said you were fine. So what's going on? Ignoring it isn't gonna help you." Sans says almost sounding a bit upset.

I don't know what to say... Can I tell him? No... I'll just tell him bits of it...

"Some guy I'm not too fond of keeps trying to contact me on facebook and they're saying things that are stressing me out." is all I say, hoping that's all I need to say.

"What are they saying? Maybe I can help think of a response that'll shut him up." Sans says sounding a bit annoyed... That's weird.

Now what...

"Oh, It's nothing to worry about. Just some weird stuff. I'm just ignoring him so it's not a big deal to me. I blocked him after he messaged me when we were walking through the city." I say reassuringly.

"But... didn't he just contact you again? You seemed to hbe hinting that."

"Uh, yeah. He made a second account."

"Just to contact you...?" Sans says worried.

Oh no, he keeps asking questions... I'm running out of answers...

"Yeah, so I blocked him again."

Sans looks at me quizzically. "But couldn't he make a third account and contact you again?"

Oh no

"Well... Yeah, but I deleted my Facebook... so no worries."

Sans looks a bit suspicious now.

"What did he say that made you so upset that you'd actually delete your Facebook... You could always ignore his new messages so... that's a pretty big move."

Stop trying to get me to answer that question Sans...

"Uh, well... I didn't need it." I say with a sheepish grin.

"What's going on Shilo? I wasn't going to push it very far, but now I'm thinking this could be something I should know about. Is this guy stalking you or something?"

Oh no, now he thinks he's a stalker... This is getting out of hand. I have to do something... But I don't know what to say.

"No, but... I can't tell you what he said... I'm sorry..." is all I manage to say, not meeting Sans eyes.

"Shilo, it's okay. Tell me. This sounds serious to me. I'm not going to get mad at you or something. Just tell me what was in those messages." Sans says determined to get an answer.

Fine, I'll tell him. He's not gonna let it go, and I don't have anymore tricks up my sleeve.

"His name is Joey. He... tried to contact me three times. The first 2 times you were there as you know, but I blocked him. Then he contacted me today... saying that he's in an organization of people who... don't like monsters, and he basically wanted me to get information for him... I told him no, and he replied to me again, saying vulgar threats. So I deleted my Facebook." I say looking down. Scared of what Sans response might be.

He looked at me for a moment before clinching his fists and speaking.

"Okay, so I see why you weren't going to tell me, though I won't deny that it kinda pisses me off. But I'm much less mad at you right now than I am at this Joey kid. So you said that you told him no, correct?" Sans asks.

He seems mad...

"Yes, I told him no. I'd never go along with that." I say honestly.

"Okay, I want to believe you, so I'm choosing to. I know you have a fear of monsters however, so it almost makes me doubt you. Please don't prove my trust wrong." Sans says seriously.

I immediately start to feel guilty and become defensive. I look up into Sans eyes and frown.

"No please don't think I'd do something like that! Yes... it's true that I do have a fear, and that fear actually came from Joey... But, while I do have a fear... it just means I'm scared. I don't wish any harm on monsters and want them to live happy lives... So please don't think I'd be a part of this." I say pleasingly, hoping that Sans can tell I'm being serious.

He looks at me for a second as if he's trying to find something and speaks.

"Okay I believe you. I don't think you have intentions of harming monsters, so unless you prove me wrong I'll trust you. I'm just trying to watch me, my brothers, and the rest of the monsters backs, and you'll have to accept that. Though I am curious as to how you know this Joey guy. You said you developed your fear because of him, how? and has he always had a hate for monsters or something?"

Okay he trust me. Good, I'm less afraid now... I guess I can tell him about my fear. He already knows I have it, so I might as well tell him how I've developed my little problem."

"Thank you, and yes I understand you need to be protective of the ones you care about." I say reassuringly. "I know Joey because we went to the same school through elementary school to middle school. He was always kind of a jerk, and he'd constantly taunt me by telling me that a monster would come and scare me, ...or eat me, ...or hurt me. You get the point. Sometimes he'd come with a group of kids wearing creepy monster themed masks during recess or after school and jump on me and scratch me or even bite me. They told me not to tell anyone or they'd make another monster come and hurt me. When the teachers saw us, they didn't do anything... They didnt want to bother. It was a bad school, with bad teachers... This is why I've always had a fear of monsters. I know that you guys aren't the monsters like the ones in the movies... I know it's not logical but I just haven't been able to stop being scared... And well, I never knew he had a hatred for monsters, and I don't know why he does... He never seemed to be afraid of them." I say, honestly feeling a little better after telling Sans this... I'm not sure why. I just feel lighter now.

"I see. It makes a little more sense now, and it at least isn't just ignorance. I hope you can get over that fear because you seem like a good person, and I don't want you to be clouded by a false sense of fear. But it is up to you to get over it. You have to be willing to change for change to happen, and that means facing your fears head on whether you like it or not. You're talking to me so you're obviously making progress." Sans says almost sounding like a guidance counselor at the end there. "I guess you don't know why Joey is afraid of monsters... or just hates us. So that can't help anything.

What is the organization hes part of called?"

He is right. I do need to face my fears... I won't get over them if I don't so I have to try... It'll be hard, but I have to.

"Er well. He said he wouldn't name it... So I don't know, sorry." I say feeling like I did something wrong by not trying to get him to tell me.

"No, it's not your fault he didn't tell you. I know these types of organizations exist, so we probably won't be able to figure out which one he's a part of... It's also pretty hard to track any of them honestly... So the best bet here is to just ignore it. I was stupid to think I could possibly take down a whole organization anyway, it's pretty hopeless. I guess I'll just have to hope these groups die out." Sans says sounding disheartened making me feel a pang of sadness for him and monsters as a whole.

"Hey you look upset, don't worry about it okay? Those groups can only do so much harm. And it's not your fault. Don't get upset because I'm upset."

Sans has a worried expression on his face that makes me feel much worse.

"I know, it's just not fair. Monsters have done nothing wrong to deserve this, and I'm sorry humans are doing this." I say feeling guilty.

"Don't be sorry, it's not you doing this. You don't have anything to feel guilty about. Now just focus on not worryiworrying about that dude anymore." Sans says, making me remember Joey's threat.

He can't do anything...

"Right, I'm glad I told you about this. He shouldn't even know that you guys are here and I'm not sure how he does but... I'm glad he can't contact me now, through social media anyway."

Sans lessens his frown, and gets up. "Come on let's go watch a movie." He says trying to cheer me up.

Yeah... a movie sounds good right now.

The rest of the day is spent with me and the skelebros watching movies, and eating dinner when dad got home. Then more movies.

Eventually it gets late and I tell everyone goodnight before we all head to our rooms.

I lay down on my bed and close my eyes.

Maybe Sans is a lot nicer than I first assumed. Or at least he was pretty nice today. I'm actually glad he was there and that I could talk about this. Papyrus seemed nice from the beginning, but Sans just seemed kind of neutral... I don't know... All I know is I'm tired, and I'm going to sleep.

I lay awake for a couple more minutes before eventually drifting off into a deep lengthy slumber.


	5. New outlook

Okay so, not the worst start to my day.

I think to myself as I look down at my watch to check the time.

It's been about an hour since I clocked in at work and I've had barely any customers come in today. It's usually actually quite busy this early in the morning, and since it's a relatively small store we only have one checkout counter for people to come to. In other words, it can actually be kind of hectic when it's busy. So today's absence of people means I can relax a little

...Or so I thought. I shouldn't really jinx myself like this.

I squint my eyes to see better and notice a girl that looks a bit fishlike, with blue skin, and fins for ears... So I've established that she is a monster... I could hide...

I quickly shake my head at my thought. No, I have to face my fears. It's just like Sans said. If I don't face my fears I'll never get over them, and I do want to get over them... I just need to try my hardest to not look afraid, and be polite... And I should probably try **not** to pass out again.

I notice the fish woman enter the shop and try my best to form a smile. I give her a small "Hello."

She waves over at me and begins to speak. "Hey, can you show me where the paper towels are?" she asks... though it almost sounds more like a command. I nod at her, and walk out from behind the counter.

"F-follow me." I say to her with a shy voice, and start to lead the way. She immediately starts to follow me.

Once we reach the aisle with the paper towels I point down it.

"There on this aisle."

She mutters a "Thanks." And makes her way down the aisle. Then I head straight back to my work counter.

That... wasn't that hard.

I see her start to approach me and she drops the paper towels, along with some paper plates, and napkins on the counter.

I start to ring up her things and notice her saying something to me.

"You're awfully quiet, huh?"

Oh... guess I'm acting kind of strange...

"Uh, yeah a little. That's j-just how I am. Oh, umm, I forgot to ask, did you find everything you need today?" I add in the question to distract her from the other sentence, and she smiles. showing her sharp looking teeth.

"Yep. This will probably be my main grocery store I'll come to from now on, so expect to see me again."

Oh, so I guess I may see her pretty often. Well, I may as well ask her name then.

"Oh, well if you'll be here often, m-may I ask your name?" I ask a bit nervously.

"It's Undyne, don't forget it! and yours?"

That's actually a pretty cool name.

"Shilo" I say with a smile.

I finish ringing up the last of her things, and bag them. Then I hand them over to her. She eagerly takes them and begins to walk off.

"I'll be seeing you again!" She yells to me as she walks out of the store.

I let out a deep breath it felt like I had been holding forever, and check my phone. Thirty minutes have passed... It feels like it's been an hour.

The next few hours are spent with me tending to customers and cleaning up the messes they inevitably make.

I check my watch again and notice that it's 4 o'clock. With all the customers gone, I grab my phone and head oit the door, turning the open sign to closed before walking away. Time to head home.

Along my way I look around at all the people walking by me, and the many many cars that pass. It's strange to see all of them looking so happy and calm when I always feel so nervous going out, but I guess those people aren't me. It's hard not to be a bit jealous of them. But I really shouldn't let them bother me. They're just passer-bys. I look back ahead of me and keep my focus straight for the next few minutes before noticing something out of the corner of my eye. I quickly whip my head in that direction and my eyes widen. I stop walking and stand completely still.

I'd recognize that face anywhere... He looks older now, and his hairs a little longer, but still curly and dark. That's definitely him... How did he even know where I was? What the hell? I've gotta get out of here.

I look away from the guy standing on the street corner and feel my legs kick into overdrive. I pick up my pace until I'm running as fast as I can. and immediately feel my breath become heavy. Yeah, I'm a bit out of shape. I haven't had to run like this in a long time.

I spit out the long black strands of hair that inevitably fly into my mouth as I run.

Maybe Joey didn't see me. Yeah, he was standing there, but he wasn't really looking in my direction, so if I just keep running... As if to deplete my source of hope I hear my name being yelled out from behind me.

"Shiloh!"

I look behind me and don't see anyone, but I know that voice is Joey's. He must be following me... This makes me start to run even faster. At this point I start to think about the threat he made me, and start to feel sick. I see a place I can turn, so once I reach it I turn left and head into a dark alley, and crouch down, hoping he'll just pass me without looking over here.

I start to try and catch my breath, and feel my heart racing fast.

Please, pleasue don't see me...

My hopes were not answered as I see a figure stop at the entrance to the alley, and start to head towards me... It's him... I start to shake and feel my mouth open begging to scream... Only I'm too. afraid too. It's like I can't do anything... I will nyself to start crawling backwards, but he keeps walking towards me. I quickly feel a gate pushing up against my back and realize this is as far as I can go... As Joey approaches me I finally let myself scream... Only it doesn't matter, because within a few seconds my mouth is covered by his hand, and he's smirking down at me. He uses his other hand to pull me up by my shirt collar and pushes me back against the gate roughly.

I feel tears start to well up in my eyes, and Joey starts to speak.

"This didn't have to happen if you just did what I told you. But instead you just deleted your Facebook. That wasn't very smart. You know it tells me where you work right? I was waiting for you to come out so I could 'talk' to you, but you had to run away. Look where that got ya'. Now I'll give you one more chance to listen to me."

I feel tears pouring from my eyes at this point and do all I know to do at this point and try to kick at Joey. My attempts prove to be pathetic as they don't even make Joey flinch.

"Won't work hun, now as I was saying will you listen to me?" Joey says almost sounding amused by my fear. I shake my head no at him and keep trying to kick him.

I won't do what he says, I don't care if he beats me up. I'm not letting him control me.

"Bad choice babe." is all he says before he lets go of my mouth and punches me in the face. I'm immediately knocked to the ground and I curl myself up in the fetal position. He kicks me in the back, and I gasp in pain.

Why... why can't I do anything? This hurts, but I can't fight back... I'm too scared.

Suddenly I realize that... nothings happening, and will myself to look up, fully expecting to see that twisted grin on Joeys face as he kicks me again... but instead I see something else entirely. Something much less terrifying... or maybe more depending on who you are in this situation.

Above me I see Undyne holding Joey up in the air with one hand as she glares at him. She throws him aside and looks down at me. Hey, are you okay? Oh, wait... it's you! She yells and bends down to get a better look at me.

I look at her in surprise... "But, why are y-you here?" I say looking up at her.

"How about 'thanks'?" She says with a small smile, but then immediately looks concerned again. "I was heading to Muffets cafe, and I sort of saw you getting beat up when I passed by here on my way there. Who is that guy? Why was he beating you up?" She looks back at where she threw Joey, but notices he's not there. "That punk ran off!" She yells angrily.

"It's okay. He's just someone who's... always hated me, and used to mess with me any chance he got. He must of saw me and figured it w-was a good idea to pick a fight with me." I lie through my teeth. Though some of that was true.

"Well, if I see him again, I'll beat him up for you. Don't worry. He's not going to mess with you again after that. I probably scared him pretty good."

"Yeah... I hope so." is all I say doubting that she's right. He'll probabprobably come back... I'll have to try and avoid him the best I can. He beat me up, so he really meant what he said in those messages before.

"Don't worry! Hey, let me help you up!" Undyne says, as she grabs my arm and forcefully yanks me up.

That hurts.

"Oww." I mutter and she gives me a guilty look.

"Oops sorry! Shouldn't have yanked you so hard like that. Hey, you look a little worse for wear. You need me to walk you home?" She asks kindly, but I don't like making people go out of their way, so I shake my head no.

"It's alright. I'm mostly fine. So don't worry about it. Thank you for helping me... I don't know what would of happened if you hadn't showed up."

I thank her sincerely, and smile at her.

She looks me over to make sure I'm okay enough to walk and then smiles. "If you're sure, then alright. I won't push you. And yeah, well, I couldn't really ignore it in good conscience so don't sweat it. Next time... just try to defend yourself. You won't get anywhere by lying down and taking the hits... I'll see you around." Undyne waves at me as she walks away, before I can say anything else to her. I slowly exit the alley and look around.

Great... I don't see him. I guess he really did just run off... I start to walk again, a bit faster than usual, trying to make my way home as quickly as I can.

A monster just saved me from the person who made me fear them in the first place... What am I supposed to think now? I can't fear someone who just well, saved me... I don't know what I'm supposed to feel.

I continue to walk until I reach my house and make my way inside. As soon as I make it in I see Sans staring at me... Uhh, what?

"What happened to your eye... and leg?" He asks me looking very worried.

Oh... How do I explain this? I look down at my leg and notice a big scratch.

"I... fell."

"Uh-huh, now what actually happened?" He asks sounding a little more upset.

Okay, so that didn't work...

"Well... I sort of got beat up." I say a little nervously, waiting for a response.

"By who?" Sans asks, his voice taking on a darker tone...

He... looks mad...

"...Nobody I know." I say, not wanting to push the situation any more then I already have.

"Who?" he asks again, sounding more like a command now...

"...Joey." is all I say, again, nervously waiting for him to say something.

"... I see. We'll deal with that later. You need to go clean out that scratch. It looks deep." He says pushing me towards the bathroom.

What does he mean... deal with it later? And damn it I can walk myself, and that hurts!

"Stop pushing me, it hurts..." I say wincing a bit, and Sans immediately stops.

"Sorry." He says apologetically to me.

"It's okay." is all I say before heading off to the bathroom.

Once I'm in there I look at myself in the mirror.

"Wow, he really did a number on my face." I say out loud as I take notice of my black eye, which really stands out on my somewhat lighter, but not quite pale skin. There's also a bruise already forming on my cheek, and my lip has a little dried blood on it, which I quickly wash off. I start to wash out the scratch on my leg with hydrogen peroxide and water, and after I'm done I put a bandage over it.

I soon walk out of the bathroom and head back to the living room, noticing how bad my back hurts on the way.

I sit down on the couch and tilt my head back, closing my eyes, and sigh.

"Hey." I hear Sans say all of the sudden, and immediately open my eyes and lean back up to look at him, and give him a short "hello" back.

"I think it may be best if I come to work with you. You never know if that guy will show up again." he says like it's the best idea in the world.

I look at him a bit surprised.

"No, that's okay. I'll be fine." I say, not wanting to make Sans do that for me. I can deal with my problem on my own.

"Really, it's fine. It would be bad if you got hurt again. It's safer. Actually, I could always just teleport you to work-.

I immediately remember the sick feeling I got after we did that the first time and interject.

"Heck no! I mean... umm... no, you can walk me okay.. It's fine... Thanks." is all I say, not wanting to have to be teleported to work... I know he's not gonna let up on this, so I might as well just let him win.

"Okay, good. I can always just teleport to leave, and to come pick you up, so it's not a big deal to me."

That honestly makes me feel a bit better, now that it sounds like a little less of a hassle. I feel less like I'm burdening him too much.

As soon as I finally relax I see my dad come through the door. He immediately looks at me.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" He yells with worry in his voice.

"Some dude on his bike beat me up. I'm fine though don't worry." The yelling causes Papyrus to come out of his room and well, cue more yelling.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU HUMAN?! ARE YOU OKAY?"

Oww, my head.

"I'm fine." is all I say before my dad starts yelling again.

"I WILL FIND HIM."

"It was a random guy. You won't be able to." I say lying to him. I really don't nedd this getting out of hand now.

"Then, he's lucky... I'd tear him a new one... Ugh, just try and relax now. I won't let anything like that happen again, so just rest. I didn't mean to yell." Dad says trying to reassure me.

"Yeah, I will." I say smiling.

He walks out of the room visibly upset, and I stare at my leg.

"You're gonna be fine, don't worry about it. I can tell you're worrying." Sans says trying to cheer me up.

"Yeah. I know." is all I say.

Only I don't know if I will be... I don't know what to believe about what happened today... All I know is I feel like things are changing for good and bad reasons.


End file.
